Continued apprehension toward such plans, coupled with concerns raised during an open house in September, could forecast a rocky public process moving forward as the city and the University of Colorado try to determine which areas of the property may be suitable for development.

Development slated for the roughly 165 acres identified in the university's 2011 master plan, according to Frances Draper, vice chancellor for strategic relations at the university, could take shape along a gradual time line.

The creation of a floodwater mitigation area would be included among immediate plans once annexed, Draper said, adding that creating "low-impact recreational and athletic fields which could serve shared community use," continuing to use the property as a training site for cross-country and tennis teams and adding restrooms and showers for athletes would characterize midterm plans for the area.

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Long-term goals for the property, Draper said, could include faculty and staff affordable housing, graduate student and/or upper division undergraduate housing incorporated into academic villages and outdoor research facilities — plans that have rankled residents throughout the process.

"We need open space more than we ever have," Lynn Segal said. "This is inappropriate development. The land is the way it is supposed to be now and we need to keep it that way."

Though still in early stages, many residents on Monday night posed questions regarding flood mitigation, how annexation would impact the property, what type of development would be allowable on the site and when the final determination would be made.

"I don't understand how dependent the decision to build the berm is on our agreeing to annex that land and provide utilities so that CU can develop it," Boulder resident Frances Hartogh said Monday. "I think we really need to understand what we're giving up in exchange of the berm being built on CU land as oppose to open space."

Earlier this year, officials said city staffers are considering a range of land-use designation categories for their recommendation, including public, open space and residential. However, they said it's likely that a mix of designations would come forward in a recommendation.

"Numbers have been thrown around about zoning and what units could be built," Hartogh added. "We need those numbers; we need to know the maximum of what we're looking at. I've heard 25,000 units, which is another city really. We keep being told by CU that they don't know what their plans are yet and that really doesn't help."

Though annexation may occur within the next few years, intense urban development atop the site is still years away under such a slow and complex process. However, residents such as Vivian Kennedy have questioned their role in the process.

"I don't understand how anyone's thoughts about the property or development are going to actually affect any of the decisions whatsoever," Kennedy said during the meeting's workshop portion. "It sounds as if the decision to annex has already been made. Does anything actually happen in here have any impact as to whether it will be annexed?"

If changes to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan land-use designations for the site are approved by the Boulder City Council, Boulder Planning Board, Boulder County Board of Commissioners and Boulder County Planning Commission, it would open the door for annexation talks to begin in 2018.

Currently, CU Boulder South has three land-use designations in the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan: low-density residential, medium-density residential and open space/other.

A low-density residential designation allows up to six housing units per acre and the medium-density residential designation allows for up to 14 units per acre. The majority of the land has the open space/other designation, which Lesli Ellis, Boulder's comprehensive planning manager, said earlier this year would "be a bit challenging" for CU's future plans.

There will be future opportunities to learn more about the CU Boulder South site as the plan moves forward, including a Jan. 17 Planning Board meeting; a Jan 24 City Council and Planning Board study session, and a Feb. 15 County Commissioners meeting.

City staffers plan to make a land-use recommendation in March and make a decision in May.

"Planning staff has jumped the gun," resident Raymond Bridge said in conclusion Monday. "We cannot come up with a realistic land use.

"Flood mitigation is possible but it should not be held hostage for annexation."

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